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I like having pepper in a shaker on the table because it improves every food I add it to. But it hasn’t occurred to me that might just be a weird bias. Instead
by abtinf 8y ago
I like having pepper in a shaker on the table because it improves every food I add it to. But it hasn’t occurred to me that might just be a weird bias.
Instead of hiding pepper away on the spice rack, why not bring more spices to the table? Get 5 or 6 more salt shakers, fill them with additional spices, put them on the dining table, and try them with different foods. Could be a fun way to learn more about flavors when cooking at home.
- aethertap 8y agoI have a spice blend that I made for flavoring beans that has kind of become a new staple at the table. It's about half tomato powder, maybe a quarter hot red chile powder, and equal parts cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, and oregano for the balance. I'm thinking about switching some of the chile powder out for chipotle to see how that goes for the next batch. Two teaspoons in a bowl of beans makes some nice ranch-style beans, but we've been using it in lots of other places as a shake-on spice (eggs are particularly good). It's a pretty decent dry rub for meat on the smoker or grill too.
- ghaff 8y agoIf you mean literally a shaker, I'd highly recommend getting a grinder even if it's one of those disposable ones built into the bottle. One of my pet peeves (#FirstWorldProblems I know) is restaurants, especially those at the mid- to high-end, with pepper shakers.
- colanderman 8y agoI've been refilling the same McCormick grinder for a decade now. There is no comparison between freshly ground and pre-ground pepper, even if the peppercorns have been sitting around a while.
- jimpudar 8y agoYou should try upgrading to a proper mill. Those McCormick grinders just kind of crush the corns into little pieces, a real grinder can produce a powerfully pungent powder that will really knock your socks off. A pepper mill is one of those things that you should upgrade first in your kitchen, right up there with your chef's knife.
- colanderman 8y agoThanks for the tip!
- colanderman 8y agoMy wife and I never eat with fewer than six herb/spice jars and/or condiments at our table. Exactly which ones vary from meal to meal, and there is no guarantee that either of us uses a given spice. (I've been on a fines herbes kick lately, and balsamic glaze is a perennial guest.) Black pepper is present less often than not, but it's used deliberately when it is. We think we're weird, but I would be glad to know we aren't unique. Spices are the spice of life!